Jeremy Clarkson compares Red Bull firing Christian Horner to Manchester United sacking Alex Ferguson after losing one match

British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson compared former Red Bull team principal and CEO Christian Horner's sacking to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson losing one match in his decorated managerial career. The 51-year-old was sacked by the Austrian team on July 9 after the 2025 British Grand Prix.

Horner had been the team principal of the Milton Keynes-based outfit since Day 1 and had been the face of the team ever since. Although Red Bull GmbH did not give a reason for the sacking, it was presumed to be related to the team's performance and lack of improvements made to the car.

In his column for The Sun, Jeremy Clarkson, who has hosted Top Gear and Grand Tour, wrote about meeting with Christian Horner at Silverstone earlier this month. He did not believe that the latter's sacking had anything to do with the performance of the Red Bull, as he compared it to Alex Ferguson being shown the door for one loss, given their contribution. He wrote:

"We don’t actually know why he was fired. Yes, it’s possible his bosses showed him the door because the team wasn’t performing. But that would be like sacking Alex ­Ferguson back in the day because United had lost one match against Chelsea. The fact is that Horner took Red Bull from absolutely nothing to a team that won six ­constructor’s championships, eight drivers’ championships, and 124 race wins. "It's number one driver, Max Verstappen, was world champion only last year. And now they’ve sacked the boss. I’m not going to speculate here on why it’s happened because, unlike the women of Instagram and all the other armchair pundits, I simply do not know."

Christian Horner, too, was caught off guard with Red Bull's decision, as he had no inkling that he was in trouble at the British GP.

Jeremy Clarkson delves into his conversation with Christian Horner

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

Former host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, shared that he had spoken with Christian Horner after the sacking and gave some words of encouragement from his own experiences of facing a similar fate.

In his column, the 65-year-old wrote:

"I sent him a text after the news of his dismissal broke, pointing out that I’ve been in his shoes in the past. I explained that when you wake the following morning, it’s easy to think, “Well, that’s that, then”. But in my case, that wasn’t that. I hadn’t trodden on a snake. I’d trodden on a ladder. And I bet he does, too."

Christian Horner is rumored to be linked with a move to Alpine or Ferrari, given that the team principal position for the next year at both outfits is unclear. Fred Vasseur's contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, while there is no designated personnel occupying the team principal's role.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam